Cab replaces



March 2.5

4 T. H. EDELBLUTE CAR REPLACER v Fntented lidar, 25, llll,

naar

THOMAS H. EBELELUTE, DE? P'lTSBUlG-H, PENNSYLVANIA..

GAR REPLACER.

application filed October 1G, 19.23. Serial No. 667,648.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that l, Trier/ras H. EDEL- nrorn, a citizen of the United States, residingr at Pittsburgh, in the county of 5 Allegheny and State oit Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Car lieplacers, ot which the tollowing is a specification.

This invention is for a car replacer, and

relates particular y to a car replacer tor use in and around the railroads in mines and other earth working operations, although it is not confined to such use.

The invention relates more particularly to that type ot car replacer arranged to straddle the rail, and it has for one of its objects to provide, on the under or rail enganjing surface olf the replacer, and between the ends of the replacer, a curved seat for engagement with the rail which will allow the plate to adjust itself within a certain range, to inclination it may assume and which may be necessary, in order that the replacer may have a solid seat on the rail when applied to rails ot different heights, or when the lower end is forced or moved down below or used above a normal ground line. This surface is also so arranged on the plate as to allow the upper or rearward end of the plate to roclr downwardly when the wheel has been raised above the top of the rail, in order to gradually ease the wheel down onto the rail and greatly reduce the distance which the wheel will drop in moving oft' the plate onto the rail. rlhis will save unneces sary damage to the journal brasses et the heavy .mine locomotives.

Obviously, where the plate must be tree to rock on the rail, the usual unsatisfactory 40 method of spiking,` the replacer to a tie is not practical, and my invention includes, in combination with the replacer which may rocl, means for clamping the replacer to the rail without interfering with the rock ingr of the plate.

rlhis is of great advantage in that, due to the increasing; number ot' metal ties being used in mines, spiking is not always possible. Furthermore, where the replacer must be se positioned so as to cooperate with the ties,

it may not always be placed close to the car wheels, which is an obvious disadvantage.

My invention may be readily understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fie; 1 is a plan view ot a replacer embodyinnv my invention;

Fig. 2 is side elevation thereof;

Fin'. 3 is a longitudinal section in the plane ot lino lilllll of Fig. l;

F 4 is a transverse section in the plane ot line lV-IV of Fig. l;

Fig. 5 is a similar section in the plane of line V--V or Fig. l; and

llig. 6 is al plan View ot a two-ended clamping cam that may be substituted for the one shown in the other figures.

The car replacers are sold and used in pairs, one is commonly called the left hand one.` and one the right hand one. l have illustrated only the right hand one, as structurallj,Y they are similar, the left hand one being a reversal.` side for side oit the right one.

ln the drawings, 5 designates generally the car replacer which is in the 'form of a plate having two downwardly inclined wings 6 and 7 respectively, separated from each other by 'opening 8, the plates 'being joined at their upper ends by a substantially level bridge part 9. rlhe plates are of increasing); width downwardly, On the outer ot the outer wing 6 is a flange or rib l0 which extends the whole length of the replacer and which traverses, at its upper portion, the bridge part 9.

Un the outer edge of the wing 7 is a similar rib or flange l1 that begins at the bottom ot the rib and terminates some distance to the rear of the uppermost end of the rib 10. rl`he two ribs converge toward their upper ends, but do not meet. They are gradually curved to guide a Wheel gradually toward a rail which would be straddled by the plate, as hereinafter more tullv described.

The under tace of the bridge part 9, which is the part adapted to rest on the rail and support the plate, is longitudinally curved or convened, the greatest thickness ot metal being between the two ends ot the bridge, as designated at 12, the thickness of the plate decreasing gradually to a minimum thickness toward the rear end designated 18. While the metal also decreases in thickness toward the inner end or' the bridge, this decrease is not as decided as the decrease in the opposite direction, as clearly shown in Fig. 3.

n the under surface of the plate are longitudinally extending strengthening ribs 14: and transversely extending strengthening ribs 15.

rllhe upper end ot the plate has a groove 16 therein which decreases in width toward the end ot the plate and increases in depth. This groove is tor the purpose ot receiving and guiding the iiange of the car wheel.

Projectii g out troni the outer side of 'the upper end ot the plate a platform li' having au opening therein through which passes a bolt i8 that 1pivotallv supports a cani plate i9 having an eccentric cam lace 2t) tor engagement with the head oli a rail. This cam plate is carr'ed close to thc under surface of the plattform, so that when the replacer is supported on a rail, it is insured that the cam may be brought into engagement ivitn the head of the rail.

ln operation, the plate is placed astraddle the rail, indicated as hl in Figs. 5 and Ll, with the bridge part resting on the. rail and the wider end on the ground or on a tie, as close the car or locomotive wheels as possible. Due to Vthe. convexe'd surface on the rail engaging part ot 'he bridge, the plate may he inclined within certain limits, to any angle, depending on the height ot the rail or the height of the rail head above the ground, and yet have a true hearing sui-tace on the rail a; various angles, the point of contact being coui'ined rto a relatively small arc. The cam plate 1S) is then driven into clamping relation with the head of the rail, securing the replacer in place.

Ti."i'lhen the wheel ci.: the derailed car or locomotive is moved up the plate, it rolls on its ilange, and the ribs ll or lt), depending on the side ojt the rail it. is on, guides the wneel. After the .vhee has moved beyond the point of Contact between the rail and replacer, and the tlange is being guided by groove 16, the weight oit the locon'iotive will cause the plate to roch, bringing the extreme upper end of the plate down onto the rail. By reason or" the upper end portion being tapered, the tinal drop ol the wheel onto the rail will he very slight, thereby eliminating a great deal of shock that is. with most of the present commercial types now in use, put on the journals and journal brasses of the cars and locomotives. The clamp will not interfere'with the rocking movement of the plate, but will, because of the enormous weight of the cars and the leverage through Which it is applied, allow the plate iframes to roch. The. plaie, however, is eiiectively. held agai movement, the cani having its shortest radius toward the lowerinost end oi the plate, so that the cam tends to clamp the rail more tirnily upon pressure being enn criedv in the direction which the wheels must move in being replaced.

li the cani engaged Ythe web of the rail instead of the head, the cam might interfere with the rocking ot the plate. Furthermore, ,in and around mines, or other temporary workings, debris and dirt are apt to become lodgi around the rail head, and which would interfere with the rapid placing or the replacer, it it were necessary to clamp it to lie weh oi thfx rail. Ydvhile this is or advantage, l do not necessarily` limit myseli to such arrangement.

The replacer -rray be made in ditlerent sizes, and cach size inaT he designed to tit. any ails within a certain limit. vWhen the plate is applied tothe smallest size rail oit the group it is designed to lit, it would, il' it were not for the eccentric clamp, have considerable lrecdom et movement with resp xct to the rail. However, the cam serves to alviz the plate so that the terminal thereoi is properly positioned with re spect to 'the gauge line.

Instead ot having a single cam gtor engagement with the various sizes ot rails, a doi'ihle-ended cam 20, as shown in Fig. 6, may be used. rlhis will enable the clamp to work eliiciently over a. wider range. The cani surface at one end isst/ruck from a greater radius than the one at the other ond.

ln some cases, as where the wheels oli the locomotive or car are in sott earth, the upper end or the plate may have a tendency to lift up when the 'wheels first begin to climb the replacer. ln order to positively limit such upward movenient, in the event the cam should not hold, the cani may have a` lip 20 thereon which projects under the head of the rail.

rlhe replacer may be manufactured in various sizes, 'for use on the smaller sizes, medium and heavy size rails, depending on the service to which the replacer is to be put.

claim as my invention:

l. A ca-r replacer comprising a plate designed to straddle a. rail and having spaced apart inclined wings joined together at their upper ends by a bridge portion, said bridge portion having a convened rail engaging surface on the under side thereof, said bridge having an inclined tace on the under side thereof extending from the convened surface to the end of the plate, whereby the uppermost end of the plate may rock downwardly onto a rail after a wheel has moved past the convexed surface.

2. A car replacer comprising a plate having wheel guiding Wings thereon and a conveXed rail engaging portion, said por- Lassie@ tion enabling the plate to roclr on the rails, said convened rail engaging portion being disposed intermediate the opposite ends or" the plate and spaced inwardly from each end.

3. i car replacer comprising a plate having wheel guiding wings thereon and a convened rail engaging portion, said portion enabling the plate to be rocked on a rail, and ineens 'for clamping said plate te a railu il. ifi. car replacer comprising a plate having wheel guiding wings thereon and a convened rail engaging portion, said portion. enabling the plate to be rocked on a rail, and means on the plate for clamping the plate to the head ot a rail.

5. A car replacer comprising a plate having wheel guiding wings thereon and a convened rail engaging portion, said portion enabling the plate to roclr on the rails, said convexed railengaging portion being disposed intermediate the opposite ends i the plate and spaced inwardly from each f end, and means for clamping said replacer to the rail to hold it against longitudinal movement, said means enabling the plate to be roclred.

6. A car replacer comprising a plate narrow at one end and wide at the other, said plate having the wider end bifurcated to provide two spaced apart rings connected by the narrow end of the plate, said plate thus being designed to straddle a plate, rail guiding means on the wings terminat-v ing at one side ot the narrow end olf the plate, which side is adapted to fall along the gauge line or" the rail with which the replacer is "used, longitudinal rib on the under side of the plate adapted to tall along the gauge line, an integral platform projecting laterally from the top of the plate, a swinging cani carried on a vertical pivot at the outer part of the platforni, said cam having an eccentric periphery directed toward said rib on the 1finder side of the plate, a rail receiving space being provided between said rib and said cam, said cani serving to hold said rib against the gauge line of a rail.

7. A car replacer comprising a plate in the form of two spaced apart inclined wings of upwardly and rearwardly diminishing width joined at their upper ends by a substantially level narrow bridge portion, the under surface ot the said bridge portion being convened between its ends and the bridge being ci decreasing thickness from the thickest part of the convened area to the rearniost end of the plate, said convened surte-,ce enabling the plate to roclr on a rail, an extension at one side of the bridge, and an eccentric rail .engaging cam carried by said extension on a vertical pivot for clamping the plate to a rail, the cam being so curved that longitudinal pressure in a rearward direction forces the cani into a tighter engagement with a rail, the plate having wheel guiding means on its upper surface.

8. A car replacer comprising a plate adapted to straddle a rail and having a slot therein in which the rail may be received, said slot being sntliciently wide to receive rails ot a plurality of diderent sizes, said plate having an outside wing and an inside wing, and a bridge connecting the upper ends ot the wings and adapted to rest on a rail, both ot said wings sloping downwardl;7 from the bridge, a rib on the upper surface of the inside wing terminating in proximitiy to the bridge, a rib on the top ont the outside wing that extends diagonally across the bridge, the inner side of the bridge having a short Jflange receiving groove therein alongside the' rib and being adapted to tall in line with the gauge line of a rail, and clamp alongside the bridge and in transverse alinement therewith carried by the plate for engaging a rail and arranged to always bring the inside edge of the bridge into line with the gauge line irrespective of the width ot' the rail.

9, A car replacer comprising a plate adapted tobe placed astraddle a rail and having wheel guiding surfaces thereon, and a clamp for securing the plate to a rail comprising a double-ended eccentric cam pivotally carried by the plate and having the cain surface at one end thereof struck from a greater radius than the one at the other end, whereby said replacer is applicable to rails of varying sizes.

ln testimony whereot1 l aliin my signature.

THOMAS l-l. EDELBLUTE. 

